Exmoor Walking Festival and Exmoor Food Festival, October 2010

October is festival time on Exmoor!

The North Devon & Exmoor Walking Festival is from October 1st to 4th. There is a great range of walks, from gentle strolls to challenging hikes. Find lots more details, and book your places on the walks, at http://www.exmoorwalkingfestival.co.uk/

The Exmoor Food Festival, from October 2nd to 10th, has some fabulous events all over Exmoor - more info at http://www.exmoorfoodfestival.co.uk/

At Exmoor House, we are offering Exmoor Tasting Platters - lunch with a difference - a chance to try our great food that combines lovely local ingredients with expert cooking!

Choose from our delicious pates, terrines, flans, also some local cheeses (and more), all served tapas-style with salad plus our home-made bread and pickles, and all for £9.50. If you still have room after that, there are some fabulous puddings, including our home-made ice creams.

To go with your meal we've a good choice of local beers & ciders, a nice wine list and some lovely organic soft drinks; plus tea and coffee from our local suppliers.

Tasting Platters are available every day of the Food Festival, from 12-2pm (last orders 1.30pm). Advance booking is essential - just call us on 01643 841432.

If you can't make it for lunch, do remember that we are open most days for dinner - again, it is essential to book in advance.

And if you want to stay over on Exmoor, where better than Exmoor House at Wheddon Cross? Visit our website at http://www.exmoorhouse.com/ for details of short breaks and more.

See you soon?

Tour of Britain at Wheddon Cross

Great excitement in the village on Tuesday, as lots of people lined the street to cheer on the Tour of Britain contestants. That day's ride started in Minehead, so the cyclists had only done one King of the Mountains challenge by the time they got here (2 more to go). Weather not that brilliant so they were a bit soaked!
It seemed to me that there were fewer competitors than in previous years. But that could be to do with it still being early in the day and the riders being less spread out.
It's always as interesting to watch all the entourage - marshalls, support vehicles, outriders, media folk, police, medics, sponsors, etc - as the race itself; quite an operation!
Our guests watched the race with us from the dining room - we had a grandstand (and warm & dry) view, and could wave majestically while having our coffee.

September's a great time for travelling

It occurred to me today that September is a really good month for going to... more or less anywhere. Seems that in most places in the world, it's a month when the weather is (relatively) kind. Here in England, of course, children have gone back to school and adults who are child-free start thinking about peaceful getaway breaks.

In the middle of Exmoor National Park, where we are, the traditional holiday season doesn't necessarily mean crowds of people (they tend to congregate more in coastal areas). So, generally it's fairly peaceful at any time of year. You don't get the 'footpath as motorway' syndrome (you know what I mean...) that can afflict other national parks.

And, yes: September is a wonderful time to visit Exmoor too. Temperatures should be good for walking; the  moorland is just beginning to show some autumn colour; there's plenty going on in the towns and villages (e.g. Porlock Arts Festival this weekend).

Why not come on over for a few days? See our website for details about short breaks packages at Exmoor House.

Some things happening on Exmoor soon

Here on Exmoor there are lots of good things coming up in the next month or so. Here's some brief info:

Porlock Arts Festival (9th - 12th September)

Exmoor Bike Marathon (11th September)

The Tour of Britain stage 4 - Minehead to Teignmouth (14th September)
This passes through Wheddon Cross, home of Exmoor House

The West Somerset Railway Autumn Steam Gala (30th September - 3rd October)

The Two Moors Festival (30th September - 9th Octobet)
It's the Festival's tenth anniversary year

North Devon and Exmoor Walking Festival (1st - 4th October)
There's a Food Walk from Wheddon Cross, which includes lunch at Exmoor House, on 2nd October. Places are limited so do book as soon as you can.

Exmoor Food Festival (2nd - 10th October)
You can enjoy Tasting Platter lunches at Exmoor House, Wheddon Cross, each day of the Festival (advance booking is essential)

Thinking about an Autumn getaway? At Exmoor House in October and November, we're offering weekend breaks for the same price as midweek - for example, a 3-night dinner, bed & breakfast package starts from only £174 per person. Enjoy a fabulously relaxing stay and some excellent food at a bargain price.

See you soon!